Ray Woodard will begin his fourth season on the Lamar sideline in 2013

Feb. 25, 2013

BEAUMONT - Lamar University will host four Southland Conference football games during the 2013 season, as well as playing road games at Oklahoma State and Louisiana Tech, announced head coach Ray Woodardon Monday.

After opening the season at Provost Umphrey Stadium on Aug. 31 against Oklahoma Panhandle State, Lamar will travel to Louisiana Tech (Sept. 7) and Oklahoma State (Sept. 14) in back-to-back weeks. This will be the second straight season that Lamar has played a pair of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents after taking on Louisiana-Lafayette and Hawai`i in 2012.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Woodard about the two FBS games. "I think Louisiana Tech will be an exciting game. They're coming off a great year. I think Oklahoma State will be preseason top 10. I've coached up there one time before and it'll be great to take our players up there and expose them to that."

The Cardinals, who finished 4-8 overall and 1-6 in the Southland Conference a year ago, will open league play at national runner-up Sam Houston State on Oct. 12. Lamar, which will play six home games and six road games in 2013, then hosts Central Arkansas on Oct. 19 for homecoming.

Lamar closes the season with a pair of home conference games as rivals Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State come to Beaumont on Nov. 16 and Nov. 23, respectively. Nicholls visits on Nov. 2 for the Cards' other home conference game.

In addition to the league opener at Sam Houston, Lamar will play Southland Conference road games at Southeastern Louisiana (Oct. 26) and Northwestern State (Nov. 9).

Following the two FCS games, Lamar hosts Bacone College on Sept. 21. The Cardinals then travel to Grambling State to face the Tigers on Sept. 28 before heading into their bye week. Lamar also took on a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) team in 2013, defeating Prairie View A&M 31-0.

"It's got a little bit of everything in there," said Woodard about the 2013 slate. "We have two Division II home games early but we also have two big FBS games on the road. We get four conference games at home and we get the two so-called rival games to close the year both at home. I think it's a great schedule."